


Das Gebrochen Arzt (The Broken Doctor)

by SugarsnapCaely



Category: jacksepticeye egos - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Dark, Deaths, Friendship, Gen, Heavy Angst, Horror, Nightmares, Possession, Psychological Horror, Sadness, Violence, some slice of life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-05-20 10:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14892698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarsnapCaely/pseuds/SugarsnapCaely
Summary: Henrik Von Schneeplestein is having some problems and they may just be worse than he thinks.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This Chapter was originally posted to Tumblr on March 3, 2018 at 1:17 pm Central Time

* * *

_Henrik Von Schneeplestein found himself shrouded in darkness. Darkness so thick he could not see his own hand in front of his face. He tried walking over to a wall to find a light switch but he just kept going and going. He tried calling out, “Guys, vhere are you?”_

  
_Silence, nothing but the silence. He was about to turn around and try the other direction when a giggle broke through that veil of silence, startling him. He stepped back only to find the ground disappear from underneath him.  
He was falling. He desperately reached out to find a ledge but that was gone too. The laughter only got louder and for a second he swore he could make out who it was. He was cut short as he met the ground with a sickening crack._

* * *

 

He jolted up in his bed, his heart beating a mile a minute as he took one breath after the other. As he calmed down he looked around his room and saw the sun shining through a blurry window. Groggily, he rubbed his eyes and reached for his glasses. He put them on and swung his legs over the bed, giving his arms a well needed stretch. He stood up from bed and looked at the time on his phone: 8:00A.M. Well, good thing it was his day off. God, he needed a cup of coffee.

He made his way down to the kitchen, and noticed that no one else was awake yet. He chuckled, even when he woke up late he was still the first one to rise. He opened up a cabinet door and grabbed the containers for coffee and filters before he rinsed out the coffee pot. Soon the sweet aroma of brewing coffee floated through the air.

  
He set out five mugs on the counter and two more in case Jack and Signe came over to visit this morning. Each one had a different design on it that was unique to the person it belonged to. He then sat himself down at the table, holding up three of his fingers. “Drei…zvei…eins…”

  
The sound of a door opening and closing came from down the hall followed by the slow sound of walking. Chase came into the kitchen, jumping up and sitting on the counter.

  
“Morning dude!”

  
“Good morning Chase,” He replied with a warm smile.

  
“Anyone else up yet?”

  
He shook his head, “No, only zee two of us so far.”

  
Chase rubbed his hands together while sporting a mischievous expression, “Sweet…more coffee for me then!”

  
“Hey, no way are you hogging all of the coffee again,” another voice from down the hall replied. The mystery man being no other than the man of mystery himself: Marvin.

  
He looked and sounded groggy.

  
Henrik smirked, “Up late practicing magic again, veren’t vee?”

  
Marvin nodded, grabbing a bowl from one of the cabinets and a box of cereal from another.

  
“I was _soooo_ close to forming lightning in my hand last night,” the tone of his voice became more enthusiastic, “I could practically feel the electricity in my toes!”

  
“Yeah, and you probably caused a power outage,” Chase snickered causing Marvin to throw a chunk of cereal at him.

  
“I am not that bad at magic and you know it!”

  
“Oh come on, you set a _pillow_ on fire!”

  
“That was one time, _one_ _time_!”

  
Scheep tried to settle the situation, “Zis is nosing to be fighting over you two.”

  
Unfortunately the two were already going at it on the floor. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He _really_ needed that coffee, why did it have to be so slow?

The next person to come into the kitchen swiftly stepped over the two of them on the floor.

  
“Morning Schneep, I see the peanut gallery is at it again.”

  
He clicked his tongue, “Yep. I svear…vee live vis children.”

  
“Don't worry I’ll take care of it.” Jackaboy turned around and seamlessly picked the two of them up with one hand each.

  
“Isn't there a better way for you two to settle this? Why don't you two play Mario Kart?”

  
Chase and Marvin pointed at each other in unison, “But he cheats!!”

  
Jackie raised an eyebrow, “How do you cheat at Mario Kart? While I would normally love to join you two and your antics, some of us aren't in the mood to watch you two roll around on the floor.” He let the two of them go before sitting down next to Schneep.

  
“Sank you.”

  
“Anything for a friend in need and justice!”

  
Schneep shook his head, smiling.

* * *

 

There was a small beep from the coffee machine, bringing everyone to attention.

  
“Finally!” Marvin exclaimed rushing to grab his favorite creamer.

  
“Yes! The magical bean god has spoken!” Chase raised his arms in praise to the fake god.

  
“We are blessed!” Jackie joined in as the two of them started chanting coffee.

  
Two other figures came into the kitchen, one shuffling and the other walking.

  
JJ walked into the room waving and smiling, cartoonish speech bubbles of “Hello” and “Good morning” appearing around him, before pouring himself a cup of coffee.

  
“Robbie is smelling the bitter juice…” The zombie did not like coffee so he sat himself down in a chair.

Schneep prepared his own mug of coffee and sat himself back down in his chair. He always loved it when they were all there together. Mornings like these were special as he would usually be at work by now. He swiped his thumb across his phone screen before it froze for a second and glitched in an assortment of typical red, green and blue before reverting back to its regular state.

  
“Zat vas odd…”

  
“What?” Marvin asked through a mouthful of cereal.

  
“My phone glitched for a second.”

  
Chase gasped, “Oooo…maybe it's like that game that Jack played recently!”

  
He and Jackie turned to each other, getting the same idea, “Simulacra~”

  
Suddenly the lights flickered as Chase and Jackie made ghost noises; JJ was standing by the light switch, bubbles of laughter floating around him.

  
Henrik crossed his arms, “All right zat is enough you sree…”

  
“Yeah you're right…” Chase said, hanging his head. He smirked, “It was probably Marvin.”

  
“ _I did not cause a power outage_!!”

  
Schneep sighed as he thought, ‘ _Here vee go again_ …’

* * *

 

“Come on, come on…” Chase was leaned forward, eyes fixed on the screen before him, as he controlled his kart.

  
“Hah! You wish, take this!” Marvin retaliated by firing a red shell at Chase’s kart.

  
“Wh- _Agh, wait no! NO_!” Chase’s kart went spiraling as Marvin sped past him, crossing the finish line.

  
“Yes! And that there folks is how you do it…”

  
Henrik chuckled from his spot on the couch as Chase pouted. He watched as Jackie and JJ moved in to join the game, eagerly choosing their characters. In all honesty he had not been paying much attention to the race as he was expecting some company. Ever since he received the text message this morning during breakfast he had been anticipating their arrival.

  
There was a knock on the door and Schneep was up from his seat like a spring. As he practically flung open the door his heart rose before falling for a split second.

  
It was Jack.

  
“Why do you look so glum Schneep?”

  
“Ah, my friend, I apologize, I sought you vere someone else.”

  
“Oh, is your daughter coming over?”

  
He nodded.

  
“That's wonderful!” Jack stepped into the room, giving Schneep a hug.

  
It wasn't long before the others had all gotten up to greet Jack as well.

  
“Hey, where’s Signe? Isn't she usually with you?” Chase asked.

  
“Yeah, but she had to work on a few commissions.”

  
The conversation continued as they all walked back to the television. Henrik sat himself back down on the couch, continuing to wait and watch the others continue their game.

* * *

 

His fingers drummed on the arm of the couch. He looked back at the clock again, noting that it had only been one minute since the last time he had checked. He grumbled under his breath.

  
“Hey,” Jack placed an arm on his shoulder, “don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”  
“I hope you are right my friend…” He replied, giving a sigh.

  
There was a knock at the door, and this time Robbie was the one to open the door.

  
A little girl squealed from the doorway, “Daddy!”

  
Schneep was up on his feet, swiftly walking towards the door. “My little edelveiss!” He swept up his daughter in a hug, as she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

  
“Sank you, Lynda,” Schneep said to the woman standing in the doorway. “Hello Rick…” He said to the man standing next to Lynda; there was a slight bitterness in his voice.

  
“Hello Henrik…” Rick replied with a nod.

  
“Take good care of her,” Lynda said as she and Rick began to walk away.

  
“Don't vorry I vill. I have somesing very special planned for today my little edelveiss.”

  
The little girl tried to bounce up and down. “Really?!”

  
“Yes really.” He gently set Maria down and she ran off to greet her “uncles”.

* * *

 

Maria held Schneep’s hand as the two of them walked down the street to the sandwich shop.

  
A bird called out in the distance, and she tried to copy it only managing to blow a raspberry.

  
He bent down to her, “Here, like zis.” He curled his tongue behind his teeth, watching her do the same, and formed an “O” shape with his mouth and whistled. When she could not do the same she looked disappointed before he ruffled her hair with his hand making her giggle. “You’ll get it eventually, just keep practicing.”

  
Maria gasped and pointed to the sign for the deli, “We’re here, we’re here!” She tugged on his arm as she skipped ahead.  
He opened the door, holding it open for her as the two of them went inside. They found a place to sit down and she fidgeted in her seat.

  
“What's the surprise? You said you'd show it to me when we got here!”

  
He chuckled, “Patience my little edelveiss, I’ll show you after vee have somesing to eat.”  
She nodded her head quickly, “Ok!”

  
He ended up having to instruct her to slow down multiple times, and every time he would shake his head, smiling.

* * *

 

She bounced in her chair, unable to contain her excitement. He smiled. He loved to see his daughter so happy. “So…are you ready for your surprise?” It was a rhetorical question, he knew that she was more than ready.

  
“Yep, yep, yep!”

  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in paper. He handed it to her from over the table and she tore open the paper, opening the lid of the box.

  
“Oh wow!” She pulled out a small heart-shaped locket. It was a delicate silver color with the picture of an edelweiss engraved on the front.

  
“Go on, open it.”

  
Inside was a picture of the two of them. He was sitting underneath a tree, as he held her in his lap. The picture had been taken while the two of them were laughing, pure joy frozen in time.

  
Maria leapt up into his lap, giving her father a hug around the neck, “This is the best present ever!”

  
He tried to laugh through her hug as he felt a tight pressure on his neck, “You're choking me sveetheart…”  
She immediately let go, apologizing for hurting him.

  
“It is alright my little edelveiss, I’m alright,” he replied as he rubbed his neck. It was odd though, he swore he could still feel a slight pain. His daughter was stronger than he thought.

  
He helped her put the locket on before paying the bill.

  
“Are you ready to go home?”

  
She nodded as she took his hand, and walked out the door.

* * *

 

“Nyoom!!” Maria sped around the living room, arms out like a plane, as she dodged little Nerf bullets.

  
“Quick, the prisoner is getting away!!” Chase yelled as he shot the little bits of foam at the child, “Everyone to their battle stations!!”

  
Marvin appeared in front of Maria in a puff of green smoke and she gave a playful shriek.

  
“You shall not pass!!”

  
“Yes I shall!” She retaliated as she swerved in the other direction.

  
“Hey!” He put up his arms in mock offense.

  
Robbie slowly stood up from behind the couch and started to trundle towards her, “Robbie want brains…” He whispered, “And hugs.”

  
Maria stopped running, “But what about them?” She pointed to Chase and Marvin. “They're bigger than me so their brains are bigger!”

  
Robbie stopped to consider this and began walking towards them.“Braaaiiinnns…”

  
“Never fear, JackieBoy Man is here!!” Jackie came from down the hall, hands confidently on his hips. He started to run towards Maria who shrieked and ran away.

  
Suddenly, Schneep jumped out from the kitchen doorway, “Quick my little minion, zee getavay is here!” He bent down to her so she could ride piggyback and began running down the other hallway.

  
Jackie raced after them. He was about ready to catch them when he collided with JJ who was stepping outside of his room. Schneep stopped and looked around at the two on the floor, “Are you alright?!”

  
Cartoon stars were circling around JJ’s head as he sat on the ground. He quickly shook them away and gave a nod.

  
Jackie was rubbing a spot on his head where it had bumped into the wall, “Yeah, I think so- _Ow_!”

  
Schneep let Maria off of his back before going over to inspect Jackie’s head. “Hmmm…”

  
Maria leaned over his shoulder, “What’s it look like daddy?”

  
He smiled, “You'll be fine Jackie. You might have a bruise but you vill be right as rain.”

  
Schneep helped Jackie and JJ to their feet before the four of them made their way back to the living room.

  
“Hey, are you guys alright? We heard a crash,” Chase inquired.

  
JJ held up a thumb smiling, a speech bubble read, “Everything is fine”.

  
“Just bumped into JJ and hit my head is all,” Jackie added, “I’m good!”

  
Schneep shook his head, he lived with a bunch of goofballs. Well…good thing he could be one too.

* * *

 

Maria leaned against her father’s shoulder as the movie played. He glanced down at her and smiled. On the floor he could see Jackie, Chase, and Marvin mouthing along and pantomiming “I See the Light” along with the movie. On the other side of Maria were Jack and Signe. Schneep noticed how Signe gave Jack a little kiss and smiled. Sam, who had come with Jack and Signe, was curled up in Maria’s lap, his eyestalk waving calmly like a cat’s tail. JJ and Robbie sat on the other couch, the two of them sharing a bowl of popcorn.

  
It was a peaceful evening, and he wished it could stay like this. His peaceful thoughts were interrupted by the twitching of an eye. He moved his hand to grab the loose eyelash, but none came. Odd.

  
“Daddy?” Maria whispered up to him.

  
“Yes, my little edelveiss?” He whispered back.

  
“Do you think I could stay over this weekend?”

  
He thought for a moment, “I vill have to check my schedule but I sink zat is very possible.”

  
She gave a quiet squeal, squeezing his arm.

  
There was a knock at the door and Chase, after fumbling with the remote, paused the movie and walked over to open it.

  
“Oh, hey Lynda.”

  
“Hello Chase,” she said warmly as she stepped into the house. “Maria sweetie, it's time to go.”

  
Maria hopped off the couch and ran over to her mother, Schneep following close behind.

  
“Did you have a good time?”

  
Maria nodded her head, “Uh-huh!” She jumped up and down excitedly. “Mommy, mommy, can I stay over this weekend? _Pleeeeaaase_?” She pulled off her best puppy dog face, making Schneep’s heart melt.

  
Lynda looked at Schneep, and then back down to Maria, “Well,…I'll have to check my schedule but I suppose it could be arranged.”

  
“Yaaay!!” She held up her arms in joy, “Oh! Mommy, look at what daddy got me!” Maria held out the locket, which was still around her neck, to her mother.

  
Schneep looked at the ground, for some reason embarrassment finding him and pulling his head downward.

  
“That's beautiful sweetie.” Lynda smiled, “I think we better get you home, it’s past your bedtime.”

  
“Yes, and I have vork tomorrow,” Schneep added, giving his daughter a hug. “Goodbye my little edelveiss.”

  
“Bye daddy,” she let go of her father, grabbing onto her mother’s hand, “Goodbye everyone!” She waved to her “uncles” and “aunt” who all waved goodbye in return.

  
When the door closed he looked at the clock and decided to turn in for the night. He said goodnight to everyone who continued to finish the movie.

  
When he walked back to his room he got dressed in his night clothes and set his alarm for the following morning.

  
As he lied down under the covers he gave a sigh. He closed his eyes and thought of the day.

  
After such a perfect day, nothing could possibly go wrong as to change it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter was originally posted to Tumblr on March 23, at 9:22 pm Central Time.

Schneep clipped the name tag onto his white doctor’s coat as he walked towards the hospital. He nodded his head to a co-worker who was walking in, giving a friendly good morning. When he opened the doors he took in the familiar scent of antibiotics, bleach, and medicine. He picked up his clipboard as he walked through the door to the lounge.

He smiled at his fellow co-workers, some were familiar but he did not really know them on a personal level. However, as he walked past a group of students he spotted Suzi.

Suzi was a good friend of his, someone he could have a cup of coffee with and chat about life.

“Hello Suzi,” He said as he walked up to her.

“Hello Henrik,” she gave him a bright smile, “how was your day off?”

“Good, it vas very good! I got to spend some quality time vis my daughter. How vere your students yesterday?”

“They were fine, one of them kept messing around though so I called him out on it.” She chuckled, “After that he didn't make any smartass remarks again.”

He snickered, “You have alvays been good at srowing people’s bullshit back in zeir faces.”

She gave him a friendly shove on his shoulder, “And what is _that_ supposed to mean?”

They both smiled at each other as she walked away to work on a patient. His first patient’s appointment was not scheduled to start for a few minutes so he decided to kill some time in the lounge. As he walked towards the coffee machine though he spotted a man who was leaning against the counter, talking to a few female co-workers. It was Jeff.

He didn't like Jeff. Jeff was an asshole. But everyone has to deal with assholes so he learned to work with him. Most of the time.

“Oh hey Schnipplestin, looks like you're back.”

He gave a sigh, “I vas only gone a day, and for zee last time it is _Scheeplestein_ … _Jiff_.”

“Well, as I was just telling these lovely ladies here, I happened to save a child’s life yesterday…”

Schneep looked at the girls, they did not look like they were interested in what he was saying, as anyone with any sense would of course. He turned back to Jeff, and gave him a very deadpan look, “It’s our _job_ to save people, Jeff.” With that he walked away, scratching at his neck.

* * *

 

He walked into the room, and smiled at a girl sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, swinging her legs.

“Hello zere Abigail, how are you today?”

She spoke in a soft voice, “I’m good.”

“And how is your dad doing?”

“Come on man, you saw me only yesterday…” Nearby, sitting in a chair, was Chase.

Schneep chuckled, “I know, I know.”

Chase’s daughter had her tonsils taken out a little over a week ago, and thus needed a check up.

“Let us see how your sroat is doing, alright?”

Abigail nodded, continuing to swing her legs.

He grabbed one of the medical flashlights from the wall, “Open vide please.” He shined the flashlight down her throat, looking for any signs of bleeding or further infection.

“So, how is Marshall doing?” He asked Chase.

“Oh he's doing great, he's at the park with Stacy right now.”

“Zat is great, has Abigail been eating soft foods like I instructed? No acidic-drinks?”

“Yes, Stacy told me that she has been.”

“Zat is excellent. And it appears zat everysing is normal.” As he stepped over to the computer, he suddenly felt very tired.

He stumbled, catching himself on the table. He felt dizzy…

Chase quickly got up from the chair and rushed over to Schneep, “Are you ok?!”

Schneep sat down in the chair, and put his head between his legs. “Yes…yeah I sink so. I must have had my knees locked.”

“Are you sure you're ok?” Chase sat back down in his chair, his voice laced with concern.

Schneep gave small laugh, “I am a _doctah_ Chase…of course I know if I am alright or not.”

He carefully sat back up, rubbing at his eyes before turning to the computer to record Abigail’s results.

 

* * *

 

He walked down the hall towards the surgery room, talking to the patient as he went. “Now, zere is no need to be vorried, ganglion cyst surgery is not life sreatening. Is zere any music zat you vould like to listen to vhen vee give you zee anesthetic?”

The boy, who was roughly 19 to 20 years old, nodded his head, “Yeah…I umm…I enjoy piano music.”

Schneep smiled, “As do I.”

As they entered the room Schneep nodded to Suzi and merely glanced at Jeff.

They instructed the patient to breathe as the music was put on and his anesthetic was administered.

Once the patient was asleep they got to work. Henrik picked up the scalpel as he made the incision that was marked on the patient’s ankle around the cyst.

Whenever he worked he always managed to get into a groove of some sort. He was always careful and methodical. Sometimes he might even tune out everyone else.

He was starting to pull out the cyst and get to the “root” of it when he heard Suzi’s voice. It sounded…alarmed.

He shook his head as he came back to reality, “Vhat vas zat?”

“Henrik, your nose!”

He was confused until a metallic taste met his tongue, “Oh my god!” He quickly backed up from the patient.

“You have to go, now, don't worry I can take it from here!”

“Sank you Suzi!” He replied as he took off his gloves and mask and left the room to take care of his bleeding nose.

 

* * *

 

He felt dizzy again as he leaned against the sink in the bathroom. How on _earth_ did he get a nosebleed? The humidity was constantly monitored all over the hospital. God, what if it affected the patient? This was their first surgery and the poor guy had been nervous. Henrik wasn't a psychologist but he didn't want to think of the consequences that any complications with the surgery would have on the patient’s psyche. He looked in the mirror as he took the tissue out of his nose. Well, the good news was the bleeding had finally stopped.

When he walked out of the bathroom he saw Suzi and Jeff down the hall.

“Are you ok?” Suzi inquired, turning towards him.

“Yes, but more importantly is zee patient ok?”

“Yes, yes he's alright. We got the cyst out and he’s being taken back to his room.

He gave a sigh of relief, he would never forgive himself if he had caused a patient harm.

“We should have someone take a look at zee monitor for humidity. Vee do not need anymore incidents like zis.”

“I know, I notified someone and they are getting on that.”

There was a scoff from Jeff, “Maybe you should be more careful.”

Schneep slowly turned to him and frowned, “And maybe _you_ should go and jump off a roof…”

They both stared at him in shock, he had never said anything like that before.

Or had he?

He couldn’t remember, but all he could think of was being at Jack’s place. He was recording a video, pretending to operate on his accountant and…

He couldn't remember.

He couldn't remember.

_He couldn't remember._

He shut his eyes, and pressed his fingers to his temples, “I…I need a cup of coffee.”

He walked down the hall to the lounge, he didn't have another patient for a few minutes anyway.

 

* * *

 

When he stumbled through the doorway to the house he was exhausted. This was normal when he got off of work but something felt off. He still didn't like the way he had told Jeff to go and die. He didn't like him but still…

Robbie stumbled up to him, “Robbie is greeting Schneep…”

Henrik gave him a tired smile, “Hello Robbie…”

The zombie wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him into a hug. Schneep returned the hug, patting him on the back. He didn't realize how much he needed this. “Sank you…”

“It is no problem for Robbie.” The zombie smiled, his milky white eyes practically glowing like the moon. The two of them let go of each other and Robbie trundled off towards the kitchen to probably grab a snack. Henrik decided that he would relax so he sat on the couch and decided to watch something on Netflix.

Eventually, Robbie left the kitchen with some ham and lumbered off to his room leaving Schneep alone. He loved the little family that he had but he did enjoy some time to himself every so often. It was quiet, and allowed him to clear his mind.

He flicked through various shows and movies deciding on what to watch. As he clicked the remote to the right the screen got stuck. Confused, he continued to press the right button. The image on the screen rocketed to the right, as it glitched. Suddenly, the lights flickered for a few minutes.

A unanimous call was heard throughout the house, “ _Marvin!!_ ”

It was replied with another distant yell, “ _I_ _t wasn't me!!_ ”

Schneep looked left and then right hoping no one would see him on the tv. That was enough television for the night. He shut off the television deciding that he should probably head to sleep. He felt he needed a better night's rest anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter was orginally posted to Tumblr on April 3, 2018 at 8:50pm Central Time.

He woke up feeling exhausted, the precipice of a headache hanging at the corners of his head. He went downstairs and took an ibuprofen before trying to make himself something to eat. He pulled out some vegetables and the carton of eggs, deciding to make an omelette. He figured the protein would help with the headache.

He dragged out one of the cutting boards, setting down a green pepper and chopping it up, hoping he wouldn’t wake anyone this early. Knowing the way everyone else slept, the worry quickly passed.

As he chopped the final bit of the pepper he nearly scraped his skin against the blade. He stood back, holding his hand defensively. Nothing had happened to it, yet the sudden fear of accidentally cutting something vital flashed through his mind.

He shook his head. What was he worried about, he was a surgeon, he had not cut himself with anything in years. He gave a laugh and went on to cutting up some ham (thankful that Robbie had left some last night). However, there was now a bigger distance between the blade and his fingers.

As he sat down to eat, he still couldn't help but feel bothered about what he had said to Jeff. He had made the occasional joke about death, everyone did, but never had he sounded so serious.

But he was angry, and stressed, stress does things to the mind. Not only that, but it was _Jeff_. He settled on that explanation, ignoring the worry that ebbed at the back of his mind.

He looked at his watch and checked the time. He still had plenty of time to get to work. He always did. He downed his cup of coffee and finished his omelette before heading back upstairs to get properly dressed. He smiled at the thought of his habit. He always did prefer to eat breakfast with his pajamas on.

He flicked the light on in his room, heading over to his closet. He passed by his bed which had a bedspread pattern of doctor symbols. He chuckled lightly, remembering when Jack had given that to him as a Christmas gift. He had gotten one for all of the “egos” as Jack’s fans tended to call them.

He pulled out his light blue work shirt, pants, and his white doctor’s coat, setting them on the bed. He glanced at his dresser, noting the figure of Doctor Strange. While most would consider him a man of seriousness, he wasn't always serious. In fact, he did enjoy quite a lot of fantasy, and much like Jack, he liked superheroes. His favorite happened to be Doctor Strange, and not because he was a surgeon like himself (ok that was partially the reason). He really admired the character for his resourcefulness, tenacity, and respect for people’s lives. Not once had the character wanted someone to die. In a way, they were a lot alike.

Plus the visuals had been fucking awesome.

He pulled on his coat, adjusting the collar, before bending down to tie his shoes. As he leaned over he checked the time on his watch. He was startled to read that he had been there for twenty minutes. He tapped the face of his watch, hoping it had been a malfunction. The digital numbers gently flickered the correct time before going back to the wrong one. He would have to get it fixed, but that could wait for a later date. He didn't want to risk being late.

* * *

 

He arrived at the hospital two minutes early. Nodding to his coworkers as he made his way to the lounge. He tapped the face of his watch again, noting how it had somehow fixed itself. He picked up his clipboard and flipped through what was scheduled for today, going through his mental checklist.

As he walked over to the counter he saw Suzi attempting to reach something on a higher shelf.

“Vhat are you looking for?” He asked, attempting to peer up at the shelf himself.

She let out an annoyed sigh as she turned to him, “Jeff decided to be an ass and put something I needed on the highest shelf. Not only that but I can't use any chairs because the new ones don't come till tomorrow.”

“Perhaps I could help? I could give you a boost.”

She crossed her arms and eyed him, “You're shorter than I am Henrik…”

“Or umm… _you_ could give me a boost and I'll get it…” He replied with an embarrassed smile.

She smiled, nearly laughing as she cupped her hand allowing him up. “It's on the right, the glass bottle with the blue cap. Should be behind the other ones.”

“Alright!” When he finally found the ledge of a shelf he peered up into the cabinet, looking past all of the glass bottles. “Vhat is it supposed to be anyvay?”

“Root beer.”

He reached his hand into the cabinet, shaking his head, of course Jeff would do something like that. Also, why in the world would there be a cabinet all the way up here? Probably Jeff.

He grabbed the bottle, “Got it!”

As Suzi was about to help him down, he slowly felt less and less of the bottle, almost like his fingers were going numb. He looked at them in concern; the feeling began to spread to the rest of his hand. “Umm...Su-”

The rest of the people in the lounge turned at the sound of breaking glass.

Henrik stared at the shattered bottle on the ground, a pool of brown, bubbly liquid gently spread out from the center. His gaze moved to his shaky, open palm. He wiggled his fingers, wincing at the feeling of pins and needles.

“Suzi, are you ok?!”

She was crouched down on the ground, clutching her leg. Blood slowly began oozing between her fingers. She tried to stifle a groan of pain.

“Someone grab zee first aid kit!!” He yelled across the room, nearly losing his grip on the cabinet. When a young intern brought over the kit and a broom he slid his way across the shelf and jumped down to avoid the broken glass. The intern set down the first aid kit and started sweeping up the glass.

Schneep knelt down to Suzi, and began taking care of the injury, carefully looking for any glass that could be stuck in the wound.

“Suzi I’m so sorry I don’t know vhat happened. I vas gripping zee bottle one moment and it vas gone zee next!”

She gave him a pained smile, “Hey, don’t worry, accidents happen.”

He gave her a nod yet the back of his mind did not agree, ‘ _You could have done_ _somesing_ _to prevent it. If only you had just caught zee bottle or held on in zee first place.’_

These thoughts continued to show themselves throughout his time at work.

* * *

 

Surprisingly, he managed to get out of work much earlier than he expected. Staying in late the night before to do more paperwork had payed off after all. With the extra time he decided he would do some errands before heading back home. He took the left turn towards the store; they would need more food for tonight anyway.

As he walked away from his car he triple checked it to make sure everything was in good order. He wasn't sure exactly why he did this but he had a feeling that he should. Upon walking inside he headed straight for the fruit. He remembered needing to buy more of that. He picked up some apples and even some grapes and continued on his way.

He grabbed some chips and popcorn from a shelf. He chuckled at the irony of a doctor buying so much junk food. Then again, he was no stereotype. Or was he? It didn't matter.

As he reached for a package of soda he stopped. He pulled his arm back hesitantly. Maybe they didn't really need soda at home. He stared at it for a moment longer before giving a sigh and picking up the bottle, making sure he had both hands on it at all times.

Henrik headed over to the check out to pay for the food. As he waited in line, a few children’s toys caught his eye. He looked at them and smiled, grabbing three of them. The lady next to him glanced at him, “What’s that you've got there?”

He quickly tried to hide the toys, and averted his gaze. He wasn't certain why he felt the need to do this. “I-it’s nosing…” He moved ahead in line, checking his items and paying. Without looking back he made a brisk walk back to his car. When he got back, he scratched at the itch on his neck.

* * *

 

“Hello everyone I’m home,” Schneep said, pushing the door open with his back as he carried in the groceries. He jumped at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, and turned to find Jackie offering to help him carry things in. He smiled at Marvin who came over as well, holding the door open with his magic.

“Hey, you're early!” Marvin said, picking up one of the bags.

“I got a lot of overdue papervork done last night so I did not have to do as much today.” He passed by Robbie on his way to the kitchen.

“What…having?” The zombie drawled.

“Soup! I sought it vould be easy to eat vhile vee play.”

Robbie clapped his hands like a joyful child, bouncing a little, “Robbie…like soup!”

As he stepped into the kitchen he heard Chase from behind him, “Nice!!”

Henrik turned at the sound of his voice and stared at the sight before him. Chase’s hair was done up with little hair clips and bows, stray stickers covering his face. “I see zat your kids have already arrived,” He chuckled.

As if on cue there was a shrill giggle followed by the padding of little feet on tiled floor. In ran Chase’s three year old son Marshall who was quickly followed by Abigail. As Chase picked them up to give them an affectionate hug Schneep couldn't help but smile. He hoped that, at some point, his little edelweiss could spend a weekend with Chase’s kids. He knew how much they would love it.

He could already see them chasing after each other. He could already see them jumping around, getting into tickle fights. He could see the way they would push each other until one would fall down and start to cry.

He shook his head. Why would he imagine that? He loved these kids. He figured he was still a little stressed from today. That was probably it.

“So,” He gave a cough, trying to start up a conversation, “vhat games are vee playing tonight?”

Tonight was Family Game Night where they would all sit and play board games and video games. They had it twice a month and it was a great way to spend time together.

Jackie replied over his shoulder as he started to put things away, “Well, I thought we could start out with a few rounds of Super Smash Brothers or Mario Kart.”

“Yeah, and Jameson brought up a _ton_ of old board games! I don't think he could decide honestly,” Marvin added.

Schneep saw Jameson adjust his monocle with an embarrassed smile.

“Sounds like tonight vill be a very eventful one! Now,” he pulled up the sleeves on his jacket as he pulled out a pot, “I vould like some space vhile I vork.” He went to the fridge to pull out supplies but stopped short as he noticed all of the glass containers. He glanced over his shoulder, noting Marshall and Abigail running between Chase’s legs. The image of Suzi with the glass in her leg popped in his head.

He turned back to the fridge and delicately pulled out one of the containers, holding it in his arms like a child would hug a stuffed toy. As he worked he constantly checked over his shoulder, worried that someone may walk too close and get hurt.

He saw Chase walk up next to him out of the corner of his eye, “Hey dude, do you need help?”

“No, no I'm fine.”

“Come on, you do so much for us all. Why don't we make the soup?”

“I said I'm fine!” He gave Chase a glare, which immediately softened as he looked down at his hand. His knuckles were starting to turn white as he gripped the wooden spoon. He exhaled, loosening his grip as he did so. “Maybe you are right…”

Chase smiled and patted his back, “Think you can watch my kids while we do this?”

He felt the corner of his mouth pull up into a smile, “No problem.”

“Thanks dude! Hey Jackie, JJ, wanna give me a hand?”

Schneep shook his head as he walked off to the living room. What would he do without these guys?

* * *

 

“JJ why do you keep mashing the same button?!! Move dang it, _move_!” Marvin yelled at Jameson as he attacked Jackie’s character on screen. Jameson replied with a shrug and a floating question mark above his head.

They were all in the middle of a game of Smash Brothers, and they were currently playing teams. Jackie was with Signe, Schneep was with Jack, Chase was with Abigail, and Marvin was with JJ. They would all switch around every few rounds and Robbie was currently keeping an eye on Marshall. It hadn't been five minutes and there were already stickers on the zombie’s face.

The timer ended on the screen as the announcer’s voice boomed out the winner.

“Oh, Yes baby!! Blue team for the win!!” Jack shouted, giving Schneep a high five.

“Vee do make a surprisingly good team,” Henrik leaned back in his seat, “considering I do not get to play zis game all zat often.”

“Yeah, you were really good! You were all like _SHOOM_ and I was all _OH NO!_!” Chase made exaggerated hand movements in the air, his daughter giggling beside him the whole time.

Jack chuckled, “Dude, we won on luck alone.”

Signe wrapped an arm around Jack’s shoulder, “And I am going to pummel you in the next round, you big goof.”

The two of them laughed, causing Schneep to giggle under his breath. He could not stress enough how much he loved his little family. He swore though, he was only occasionally jealous of Jack and Signe’s relationship. Not only that but some of them insisted he had a crush on Suzi. He never said yes but he never denied it either. He rolled his eyes at the thought, his family was strange.

“Hey Robbie, wanna switch yet?” Jackie called over his shoulder, “My fingers are getting kind of tired.”

The undead ego slowly turned his head from his game of patty cake with Marshall, his brows furrowed in thought. Eventually, he nodded his head and clambered closer to the television, giving Jack a fist bump as he passed.

“Alright,” Marvin began once Robbie was comfortable, “Jack, Schneep, your turn to pick a stage.”

“Hmm, what do you think?” Jack turned to Henrik, glancing at the screen.

“I am not sure, but I suppose vee could- _Agh_!” Schneep jumped out of his seat as he saw the images on screen glitch and distort, a sound like cannon fire going off in his head.

“Are you ok?! What's wrong?”

“I…I don't know,” he spoke between deep breaths, “I vas just startled, zat vas all.”

“You sure?”

He nodded.

A speech bubble popped up above JJ’s head, “Perhaps we should play another game?”

* * *

 

Robbie slowly picked up the dice and gave it a roll, moving his game piece across the board, “Howw…Jack channel?”

Jack turned around on the swivel chair, he was currently sitting out this round of the game, “Everything’s going well, I finished Simulacra.”

“Well, I can't wait to see it, that game can get really creepy.” Jackie added.

“Yeah, almost as scary as the voice acting,” JJ’s speech bubble read as he rolled the dice.

“ _Fuuuck it sooo muuuuch!_ ” Almost everyone, excluding Robbie and the kids, chimed out the signature phrase, and ended with them all laughing.

As Schneep laughed he had to agree with Jackie, while the game’s voice acting needed work it was otherwise a decently scary game. He hadn't seen much of it, but a few of the jumpscares had gotten him pretty bad. Much like Jack, he too was creeped out by glitchy types of horror. Especially from earlier. He was still confused about that: why had no one else seen what had happened on the tv? It felt like he was the only one who noticed it. And what was that…that _sound_ in his ears? Gosh, he felt like he nearly got a concussion. And he swore something was at the back of his mind when it happened. Now that he thought about it, it sounded like it said death.

“It̷'s your tųr̨̛n”

Henrik jolted in his chair, “Vhat?”

“Dude, I said it's your turn.” Chase, held out the die, “Here, take the d̡̡ie”

“Wh-who’s dying?”

“No…one?” Marvin replied, “Well, ok, no one except Mr. Body, but he was dead before we even started the game.”

“V-Vhat game are vee playing?”

“…Clue. Henrik, are you feeling alright?” Jackie asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He felt dizzy and tired; he couldn't think straight. His head was starting to hurt too…

“I…I’m ok,” He spoke slowly, thinking carefully about what he said, “I sink I have a headache…I sink…I sink I'm gonna call it a night.”

There were exchanges of good night and feel better soon as he stood up from the chair. As he walked down the hall towards his room, the hallway seemed darker than usual. When he finally got into bed he was restless the entire night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter was originally posted to Tumblr on June 5 at 9:36pm Central Time.

When Henrik woke up he had two cups of coffee rather than his usual one. He didn't feel all that hungry either so he left the house with a single piece of poorly buttered toast. Thankfully, he managed to get to the hospital without causing any issues. Today was going to be a long day…

As he walked into the lounge he raised his hand to wave to Suzi but hesitated as he remembered yesterday’s events. She had had to go home early due to the—albeit minor—cut on her leg.

He gathered up the courage to walk up to her and apologize again when he nearly ran into Jeff. He groaned, he _really_ did _not_ want to deal with him this morning. And just when he thought he was getting over his migraine too…

“So…I heard what happened yesterday,” Jeff said, cocky eyebrow and all, “And to think I thought you were a surgeon.”

“And to sink, I sought you vere less of a hypocrite.”

Jeff narrowed his eyes, as if unsure what he was talking about.

“Remember zee incident vis zee saline?”

For the first time in a while, Jeff stammered, “I-I umm…no… _yes_ …I mean uhhhh…”

Henrik smirked, that put him in his place. He had to admit, he got some enjoyment out of seeing Jeff put down a peg. He checked his watch as he continued to walk, his first appointment for the day was in two minutes. He picked up his pace as he left the room.

* * *

 

He rolled his shoulders briefly as he moved to place the pacemaker wire in the ventricle. For the first time since this morning he was all focus. It was as if his very job itself kept a firm anchor on the worries that had built in his head. He had no time to worry, after all, people’s very lives depended on every ounce of his concentration. That fact alone kept him in reality. He could let his worries fester later.

He kept his eyes on the x-ray, making sure everything was lining up properly. This had to be done carefully otherwise the device would not work. He continued to attach the wires one by one to their appropriate places in the vein, the steady sound of the patient’s heart monitor beeping in his ears.

Once the last wire was in place he took the last one and hooked it up to the pulse generator, checking to make sure it was functioning properly. He positioned the device under the skin and close to the collarbone. Final checks were made and when everything was good to go he began to stitch up the incision. He cut the extra thread, letting out a sigh of relief as he did so: another successful procedure.

As soon as the patient was rolled out of the room he began to take off his equipment and wash up at the nearby sink. Aside from the gentle hum of nearby machinery and the water from the faucet, it was quiet. It was a calm, familiar sort of quiet. It was a quiet that he liked.

So why was it that he felt so uneasy?

He looked up at his reflection in the mirror, the same glasses-covered blue eyes stared back at him. He raised a hand up to the reflection, as if he had to make sure it was still him. The reflection mimicked his motions.

He waved his hand in front of the mirror, still unsatisfied with what he was seeing.

He looked over his shoulder to find no one there, yet he still felt like someone was in the room: watching. He turned back to the mirror and found it smirking back at him. He blinked his eyes and his reflection returned to normal. He ran a hand through his hair. God, what was going on? How long had he been in here again? He checked his watch, tapping the face to make sure it hadn't messed up again. He needed to get back to work. He slowly turned around and headed for the door.

Two green pin-pricks stared at him from the mirror.

* * *

 

Henrik’s eyes darted around for a moment as he walked down the hall. He was sure he was probably just being paranoid but he still couldn’t shake off the dread that seemed to constantly follow him like a predator stalking its prey: slow and methodical. He managed to distract himself when he came up to Suzi in her office. She was currently plugging information into a computer, her fingers typing quickly on the keys. When he saw her finish he cleared his throat, “Hello Suzi, are you coming to lunch vis me?” The two of them almost always had the same lunch break and so they would go together.

“I’m sorry Henrik,” she closed the computer’s window and the file she had open as she turned to face him, “I have to help out some interns with surgeries today.”

His smile fell, he had been hoping that some time with his friend would help heal his stress.“Oh...vell...I vill see you later zen?”  He had started back on his way when he was interrupted by Suzi.

“Wait!” She stood up, quickly slinging a bag over her shoulder.

He turned back around to look at her, “Yes?”

“I umm...well…” She seemed to try and avoid his gaze, choosing to stare at her fiddling fingers. “I was wondering if...since I won’t be having lunch with you,” she took  a deep breath through her nose before continuing, “if you would like to have dinner with me this evening?”

He stuttered, unsure how to react.

“I mean, it won’t be anything special really, just a small place I know in town, you know?”

A smile formed on his face as he considered, “Y-yes, I vould love to...to have dinner vis you.”

She beamed, “Really? Thank you so much! Anyway, I-I’ve got to go, bye!” She waved to him as she left the hall.

He raised a hand, giving a small wave in return. He smiled as he felt some of the foreboding atmosphere lift like fog disappearing in the sun. There was a slight bounce to his step the rest of the day.

* * *

 

A cool breeze floated through the air, giving him a sense of peace. It was a great evening to walk through Brighton. He opened his eyes and looked over at Suzi, “Vhere did you say vee vere going again?”

“You'll see when we get there.” She picked up the pace a bit nearly stranding him behind a group of people.

As he jogged to catch up he seemed to soak up her energetic atmosphere like a sponge. He watched the light bounce off her face, almost making it glow. He had sworn to the others that he had never seen her that way but, now that he thought about it, there had been times he noticed the way her hands moved while performing a surgery or how she would occasionally snort when she laughed. It had always managed to make him smile. ‘ _Maybe…_ ’ he thought, ‘ _being wrong isn’t alvays such a bad sing_.’

* * *

 

They sipped on some drinks as they sat across from each other in a booth. “So,” Suzi began, “what do you think of this place?”

He glanced around taking in the scenery, she had taken him to a German themed diner, “I love it actually.”

She smiled, “I thought you might.”

He couldn’t help but smile in return. He hadn’t realized how much he needed this to be honest. It was such a welcome experience that cleared away the clouds that had been surrounding him as of late. Perhaps she had sensed his apprehension and wanted to do something nice to help him. Well, it had been working so far.

“How vere zee interns zis time? Did any of zem give you trouble?”

“Oh no, they were fine. One of them was a little nervous but they did a wonderful job!”

“Zat is good to hear, vee could alvays use an extra hand around zee hospital.”

She suddenly let out a giggle.

“Vhat’s so funny?”

She put up a hand as she tried to stop her own laughter, “I…I just remembered something that happened today. O-One of the interns was being given a hard time by one of the other interns...and he put him in his place hard. I’d tell you the joke but you had to have been there.”

Henrik stifled a laugh of his own, “It is alright, in fact I did somesing similar to Jeff today. I sink vee both needed it to be honest.”

She giggled again as she picked up the menu and he decided to do the same. Before he could even glance at it though there was the ding of a notification on his phone. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the message. He beamed, trying his hardest to contain his excitement as he smiled across the table at her.

“What’s up, what happened?”

“My little edelveiss, she is coming over zis veekend!”

“That’s great!”

He nodded and looked back down at the menu. He shook his head, some of the words looked blurry. He took off his glasses and cleaned them before putting them back on. Flecks of red now decorated the page. His chest shook with suppressed nervous laughter. He decided to just focus on the words, that was what was important right now. He looked back down and started reading.

‘I̴̡t’s̷ h͏͟͏͘ope̸̶̢le̢͞ss̨͠͝. Fa̡̧̨̢i̢͏̷̕luŗ̸͝͏e. You c̛͟͝͠an̶͢͡’t s͏a̶̧ve t̶̶͜h̵͠em̢͢’

He quickly shut the menu with a slap that caused people to look up from their meals. He nervously started to duck down as he felt their eyes leave him. Or did they? Some had to still be watching him, right? No, no they couldn’t be, no one would stare for that long. Would they?

“Henrik?”

He whipped his head around to her, startled.

“You look pale are you ok?”

He nodded slowly, deciding to look at the table instead. There was a fake vase full of fake flowers sitting against the fake wall. Wait, no the wall was real. He put his hand against it as if he had to make sure. Yep, still solid. He looked back over to the table noting the silverware sitting on it. It was the same as always: spoon, fork, and knife. His eyes continued to stare at the silverware for a long time. It seemed almost mesmerizing. He felt the need to pick up the knife...and drag it across someone’s skin as they beg-” _Henrik._ ”

He shook his head as he looked up a Suzi, she had given a quiet yell and concern was written across her face.

He swallowed the tension that had built in his throat, “Y-yes?”

“Henrik if something is wrong you can tell me.”

He opened and closed his mouth several times like a dying fish before managing to spit something out, “I...I sink I need to go on a...o-on a valk.” He stood up from his chair, feeling his feet stumble for a split second.

“Maybe I should come with you.”

“No!” He yelled a bit too loudly. “N-no. I’ll be fine on my own.”

She gave him a sad nod and let him on his way. He felt so tired as he walked out the door.

* * *

 

He stumbled through the door to the house, nearly tripping on the step. The house was dark, outside was dark, his mind was dark, everything felt dark. His body appeared to move on its own accord, moving before his brain knew what it was doing. He vaguely told himself he needed to sleep and vaguely agreed.

The moment he crossed into the hallway to go to his bedroom it was like he stepped into a thick fog. The air felt thinner and he had trouble breathing. He felt jared as the disorientation he had been feeling simultaneously doubled and left his senses heightened. He felt the need to run but he was frozen on the spot. He could feel his hands shaking and the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. His eyes darted frantically about the room, something was watching him. He could feel it but he couldn’t see it.

His eyes widened. Unless… He slowly forced himself to turn around.

It was JJ.

An exclamation point appeared above his head as he flinched back slightly; his hand was outstretched as if to grab his shoulder.

“O-oh, it is only you…”

“Are you ok?” JJ asked.

He nodded, “Y-yes...I am only tired is all…”

Without even saying goodnight he walked to his room and went to bed.

* * *

 

_He found himself standing out in the hallway. It was pitch black and he could not see a thing. He wasn’t sure why he was standing outside his room but his feet started to walk anyway. The further he walked down the hallway the closer the dread started creeping up on him. Someone was watching him again. Someone always seemed to be watching him, and yet the panic never lessened. No, it only got worse. He felt like the walls were closing in on him. There was something everywhere. It was everywhere and yet he could not see it. He needed to see, he had to see, he had never felt so blind. At his request an eerie green light illuminated the hallway. He immediately regretted it as a hard shudder traveled down his spine._

_The walls were covered with eyes. He had seen eyes by themselves before, often in his job or the one that often floated by Jack’s shoulder. But these eyes were not like those, they were not round and adorable like Sam; no, they were human and alive._

_They all blinked erratically and blood started to pour from them like tears. His instincts kicked in and he ran. His feet hit the floor one after another. The hallway seemed to stretch on infinitely, adding to his anxiety._

_He glanced behind him but when he turned back the hallway came to a sudden end. He practically skidded to a halt, nearly touching the multitude of eyes in front of him. He whirled back around and found another wall had closed off behind him. He was surrounded._

_His chest moved up and down rapidly. He needed to find a way out._

_A singular voice suddenly surrounded him from all sides, loud, distorted, and harsh._

_“N̴̡o̡̡w̷͡…”_

_There was a cacophonous hiss and all of the eyes peeled themselves from the walls with a disgusting_ slurp. _They_ _opened up their eyes again to reveal a maw of sharp teeth._

_The eyes’ teeth dug into his skin, drawing blood. He went down. He tried to cry out in pain but no sound came out. All he could do was writhe on the floor as they tore into him. Ripping flesh from bone, the eyes burrowed under his skin giving him an agonizingly uncomfortable sensation. The voice from before laughed at him the whole time._

* * *

 

Henrik’s eyes snapped open and reality came flooding back to him. He found himself shaking in a cold sweat, staring at the ceiling.

Two hours later, he finally fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys, from here on out all of the other chapters will, of course be posted on the same day as when I post them on Tumblr. Also I would really love to hear your feedback comments are always appreciated! Then again, ANYONE even taking the time to READ my little story here is great, so thank you all! Also if anyone wants me to post the comments I leave on Tumblr to the end notes (including past ending comments/statements) let me know! You can find my Tumblr under the url sugarsnap-caely! ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Henrik gave a tired smile as he climbed into the passenger seat of the car. As Chase sat at the wheel next to him he gave the doctor a troubled look. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Sank you for driving me to vork zis morning…”

“Well...no problem but you didn’t answer my question.” Chase started to drive down the road, waiting for his friend to answer.

Henrik yawned, “I...have said it once I vill say it again, I am fine…”

Chase turned a corner and glanced back at him, “You’ve been acting... _odd_ lately. In fact, before you woke up this morning, JJ told me he found you in the hallway last night.”

His eyes locked with Henrik’s, “He said you looked scared.”

Henrik bit his lip as Chase turned his gaze back to the road, “I...vas just tired...and vork has been stressful.”

Chase gave him another look and said nothing more.

* * *

 

Schneep sat back in his chair as he sipped a cup of coffee. He wasn’t sure if the caffeine was working because this was his fourth. At least the positive thing about being tired was that he was less afraid. He still wasn’t sure what had happened last night. God he felt horrid for leaving Suzi alone. She was going to hate him for that.

He must have been exhausted this morning if he was able to even walk down his hallway. He shuddered as his nightmare came back to him. He knew for a fact that he would not be able to work on anything to do with eyes.

Today was going to be hell.

* * *

 

“Now,” Henrik turned in his chair and handed a piece of paper to someone, “Once you get zee inhaler be sure to use it vhen you have trouble breazing.”

Thank goodness he had his job to keep his senses about him. He was still tired and scared but at least he had something to keep his mind on. A sort of distraction. He adjusted his papers and attached them to his clipboard, preparing to walk out of the room.

“Dr. Schneeplestein?”

“Yes Eli?”

They hesitated, “I know this is kind of a strange thing to ask you, but, are you alright? You seem a bit off today.”

Henrik blinked, speechless for a second, “I assure you I am only tired is all.”

Eli nodded and followed him out of the room.

“If you have any issues contact us as soon as possible, alright?”

“Ok, thanks again Dr. Schneeplestein.”

“Alvays happy to help. Have a good day Eli!”

As they parted ways he gave a sigh, it was always refreshing to help out someone to the best of his ability. Not only that, he was thankful that no problems had arisen today. Especially after last night. He felt sick just thinking about it. Really sick.

He felt a pain in his stomach as his vision started to blur and go dark. He quickly made his way into the closest room. He did not want to cause a scene if he passed out. He managed to find a chair and sit in it just as ringing picked up in his ears.

He could hardly see anything. He didn’t even know which room he was in. Had he drank enough water today? Who was he kidding, he couldn’t even remember if he had breakfast this morning let alone if he drank water.

His life was falling apart. He had hurt Suzi. He was seeing things. What if he was sick? What if he died?

No, no, no. He had to remain calm.

He breathed in--one, two, three--then out--one, two, three, four.

In...and out…

In...and out…

He eventually managed to see clearly again and looked at his watch. He had plenty of time to get to his next appointment. As he stood up he grabbed the ledge of the table, careful not to touch any of the blood bags.

He placed a hand against the door frame, double checking to make sure he wouldn’t have another dizzy spell. When he was satisfied he left the room on his way to his next appointment and, hopefully, a water fountain.

* * *

 

Henrik fidgeted as he sat down for lunch. He had not seen Suzi all day. Perhaps something had come up in her schedule that prevented her from coming to lunch at this time. That was probably it. No need to worry. He hated to admit it but he was almost glad that Suzi wasn't here for lunch. She'd probably just stare at him the entire time.

He glanced around for a second. Good, no one was actually watching him. Again, it was probably just his nerves. Just his nerves.

He reached into his lunch bag and gasped, pulling his hand out. His hand was _missing a finger_. He needed help he needed someone he was going to–

His hand was fine.

He blinked, his chest heaving up and down. He swallowed, putting his shaking hand down as he peered into the bag. Oh yeah, there was an ice pack. It was just cold in there.

He chuckled as he glanced around the room. People were definitely watching him now weren't they. They probably were. These people were always watching. Spying on him. Maybe he should take care of that. Maybe he should take care of _them_.

He stared at the table as thoughts rushed through his brain. His thoughts seemed to be rushing a lot lately and he couldn't slow them down. They just kept coming one after another. Buzzing like flies. He managed to catch them, and his breathing slowed down.

He needed to eat. Yes. Food would help settle his mind; help calm his nerves. He picked up his sandwich from inside the bag.

The intercom buzzed, making him jump. His hands fumbled as he tried to catch the sandwich and listen. “Dr. Henrik Von Schneeplestein and Dr. Suzi Amanda Blake please report to room 432 immediately.”

Without even thinking about it his brain kicked into work mode as he packed up his lunch. What was going on now? Well, whatever it was it required his attention. He picked up his lunch and practically ran out of the room and down the hallway. As he turned the corner he jogged alongside Suzi.

“Henrik!” She turned to him, concern wavering in her voice.

Without even looking at her he replied, “Do you know anysing about vhat's happening now? Vhy ve're being called?”

“Well…well I no…no I don't. Not really in any case. God I hope it's nothing too serious.”

“I do to.” Well, their first conversation since last night didn't quite go as he thought it would, but it was certainly an improvement than what his mind had originally cooked up.

Suzi came to a sudden stop near the doorway and Schneep stumbled as he nearly barreled past her. He managed to right himself and stood next to her as the two of them walked into the room. They stopped for a second time as they heard shallow breathing. They glanced at the patient, who appeared to be panicking.

The nurse in the room looked up from what he was doing and gave the two a brief explanation on the situation, “The patient’s name is Derrick. He was assigned to a blood transfusion but he appeared to show signs of an allergy so I stopped the procedure. We need you to check his signs and see what’s going on.”

Only exchanging a glance the two of them went to work.

As Suzi was checking the vital signs she continued to speak the the nurse, “Did someone already take the blood bag back to the bank?”

He nodded, “Yes, that has been taken care of.”

“Good. Henrik, how’s he doing?”

The German finished marking down a result before glancing up at her, “Not vell, it appears zat he cannot speak.”

Suzi put the cap on a sample she just took, “You need to administer medication, right now! I have to take this down to the lab for further tests.”

She raced out of the room as Henrik scrambled for the syringe. He grabbed hold of it and, turning on his heal, injected the fluid into the patient. He sighed as calm washed over him. Now all he had to do was wait for the medicine to take effect. But it didn't do that. Derrick's heart rate only rose and his shallow breaths turned into wheezing.

“No no no no!” Henrik bolted out of his chair as he reached for the syringe again. This wasn't supposed to happen. The medication was supposed to relieve his pain and help him breathe. What was going on? Perhaps the reaction was more serious than they thought. Henrik checked the patient’s face for swelling. He felt sweat start to run down his forehead as he found nothing. He had to do something! What was he doing! He should go and get help! That’s what he should do!

“Nurse! I need you to go-”

The rest of his sentence fell flat on his tongue as he heard a long, loud beep.

* * *

 

Henrik’s footsteps felt heavier as he walked his way towards his last scheduled appointment. Watching a patient die was always a heavy burden to bear. He didn't think he could ever get over that feeling of helplessness. Only this time the weight seemed larger, and his slumped posture demonstrated that well enough. There was always that question of “If only.” If only he had been faster. If only he hadn't panicked. If only, if only, if only.

If̷ only he cold have end̷͡ed their suffering s̴̡ooner…

His thoughts caused him to come to a sudden halt. What was _wrong_ with him lately? He was about to ponder this when the sound of arguing became apparent to him in the room nearby.

“I don't care what your statistics say. It was because of your careless behavior that someone _died_ today!”

“But-”

“But nothing! You _left the door open_! Now if you excuse me…I…I have to go.”

Schneep heard the speaker leave the room, muttering under his breath, “I can't…stand how people can be so carele-”

The two of them gasped as Jeff almost ran into him.

“Oh,” Jeff sniffled as he tried to regain his composure, taking off his glasses and cleaning them. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I…I’m heading to my next appointment,” he replied as he tried to hide the anxiety in his voice.

“R-right…me too…” He cleared his throat as the two of them awkwardly parted ways.

Still, the whole situation left Henrik’s curiosity to wonder what exactly that was.

* * *

 

He stepped around a small group of people as he walked down the street. He felt that he should go home, however. Besides, he’d been walking out here long enough right? He could hear the group of people behind him mumble something. Were they talking about him? No. Why did it matter anyway? They were strangers to him. He picked up his pace.

He jumped as someone bumped into him. “Oh!” the stranger started, “I̡͜͞’m sor̵͟r̵̨͢͠y you're su͟͞͠ch an įd̷i͏͟͏͘o̶̵̴͝t.”

Henrik took a step back, “V-vhat vas zat?”

“I said I was sorry.”

He swallowed, “Oh, I…I…I’m sorry too…” The person continued on their way leaving him standing there.

See, everything was fine, he was just paranoid.

He had made his way across a street when he heard someone whisper behind him. When he turned around no one was there. He felt people watching him again and his reality melted. Everything blurred together like a ruined painting whose colors were smudged and running. Blurred shapes walked past him, whispers dripping off and following him as they passed. He picked up his pace, trying to get away from the words and accusations. He was not fast enough; they swallowed him whole.

He tripped on the sidewalk and fell, covering his ears as he tried to block out the static. The shapes began to crowd him, bringing more waves of whispers with them. He had to run. He had to escape.  He got up and headed back in the direction he thought was home.

* * *

 

Henrik slammed the door shut behind him, his chest heaving up and down. He could feel his body shaking as held the door shut with his back. The other people in the room stared at him in concern.

“Henrik, what's wrong? Are you alright?” Jackie took a step closer as he spoke.

“Back off!!” Henrik yelled, causing everyone to flinch.

Chase seemed to shift in place before opening his mouth to speak, “Re…remember the uhh…the breathing technique you showed me? If…if you're nervous, try that, ok?”

Chase’s words seemed to break through his warped senses as he counted his breathing.

In--one, two, three--then out--one, two, three, four.

Eventually, this helped as he slid down the door, a distressed moan exiting his mouth as he covered his face with his hands. What was he gonna do?

He took in a sharp breath as he felt Marvin put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“You feeling any better?”

He nodded his head slowly, not willing to part his hands from his face.

He saw Chase kneel down out of the corner of his eye, “H-hey why don't you go and relax. I think you always liked a bath, right?”

A bath? Now that sounded like a great idea. Something to calm his senses.

He uncovered his hands from his face and with everyone’s help he was back on his feet.

A speech bubble appeared above JJ’s head, “Do you think you can walk?”

He could see him wringing his hands behind his back and smiled, “Sank you, but I sink I can manage.” He made his way down the hallway, thankfully, only having to stop once as his nightmare came back to him.

He walked into his bathroom and turned on the faucet. He smiled as he let the steady sound of running water bounce against his eardrums. At least some things could still calm him down.

He stepped down into the tub and sighed as the warm water relaxed his muscles. He allowed his thoughts to quiet down from their recent noise. To be honest, he was a bit surprised how easily he was able to calm down. As he closed his eyes, he reminded himself to thank Chase when he finished.

* * *

 

He felt…numb. Almost as if a thick fog had covered his head…and it felt heavier than it usually did.

Every single sense came back to him at once as he felt a searing pain in his chest. He doubled over, vomiting up the contents of his stomach. There was an intense ringing in his ears that slowly dissolved into voices.

He heard a heavy, relieved, strained sigh, “Oh thank god…”

Henrik’s vision returned just in time to see a blur come up to him and hug him tightly.

“ _Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god. I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead._ ”

Henrik looked down to see Chase as he continued to cry into his shoulder. He looked back up to see Jackie and Marvin standing there, looking absolutely exhausted.

“V…” He stopped, surprised at the strain in his voice, “Vhat happened…”

Chase looked at him, tears still streaming down his face, “Y…y-you near…nearly…you almost _drowned_.” He hiccuped as he loosened his death grip (but did not let go). “I…I…I came to check on you…and… _and_ … _this is all my fault_!!” He broke down again, unable to continue.

Henrik finally returned Chase’s hug, comforting him, “It is not your fault Chase…”

Jackie cleared his throat, “Well…you see, he came in and found you under the water and…and unconscious. He pulled you out and called for help.”

Marvin was trying his best to hold back his own tears, “I’m just glad we were able to save you…”

He recoiled a little at the news. He must have fallen asleep…thank god Chase came up. Otherwise he would probably be dead. He shook his head, “Vhere are Robbie and JJ?”

Marvin tilted his head to the doorway. He peered behind them through the crack to see the two of them sitting on his bed. Robbie looked like he was thinking and JJ had a rain cloud above his head with a large puddle beneath him.

Henrik looked back up at Jackie and Marvin, confused.

Jackie cleared his throat again, “Robbie…didn't seem to understand the…the situation yet. He thought you would…come back…”

Robbie looked up from his thinking to the bathroom and smiled, “Look…Robbie right! Schneep…come…back”

JJ perked up as well although the cloud did not leave his head yet as the two of them walked over to the bathroom.

Suddenly, everyone’s heads turned at the sound of a door and thumping footsteps.

“We came as soon as we heard!!” Jack and Signe burst into the room, out of breath. As soon as he saw the scene, Jack heaved a sigh of relief as he bent down to give Schneep a hug.

“Thank god you're ok.”

He coughed, the burn of acid still in the back of his throat, “I am alright Sean…I’m alright.”

As Jack and Chase helped him to his shaking feet, Signe spoke up.

“How long was he under for? Perhaps we should take him to the hospital j-”

“ _NO_!!” Henrik felt a shudder travel through him as he snapped, his fingers twitching for a moment as he breathed in and out. He noticed the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces and calmed down, “I…I…I am a _doctah_. I know if I am alright.” He attempted to justify his actions, yet even _he_ wasn't sure why he exploded like that.

Chase opened his mouth but was cut off, “I have told you once…and I vill tell you again. I am _fine_.” He pushed past everyone and to his bedroom, “Now I sink it vould be…vould be vise if I get some sleep.” He gestured for everyone to leave, and they gave him mixed looks of worry.

Before Marvin stepped out however, he used magic to dry up the puddles JJ’s cloud had left behind. “Get well soon Henrik…” he said as he closed the door behind him.

Once Henrik was sure he had left he sat down on the edge of his bed. He hung his head in his hands and cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my GOD I am so so SO sorry for the long wait on this chapter, honestly! Procrastination, writers block and ADHD are hell. Aside from being frustrated, would you look at the date! It seems we have reached a certain anniversary. I actually had no idea about it until today and honestly, I wish I could have gotten the chance to post the story’s climax today. ;) However, one can only do so much and I’d rather not wear myself out. As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter, if you can I’d love to hear your feedback it is always welcome!! ^^


	6. Chapter 6

Henrik swallowed a lozenge as he climbed into the passenger seat of his car again. He felt drained. He couldn't even muscle up the effort to eat that morning. He'd probably eat something once he got to work.

Chase awkwardly climbed into the seat next to him, hands at the wheel. He barely gave him a glance before his eyes quickly shifted back to front and he began driving.

Throughout the duration of the trip Chase kept opening his mouth to speak but his nerves would get the better of him and he would shut it quickly.

Henrik, feeling responsible and sensing his tension, placed a hand on his forearm, “Chase. I meant it vhen I said it vasn’t your fault.” He looked down at his shoes, “And I’m sorry for snapping at all of you last night. I was such an idiot…”

Chase remained silent but Schneep could sense that he had relaxed somewhat and that was good enough for him.

* * *

 

Upon arriving in the lounge Henrik helped himself to a well needed cup of coffee. He picked up the muffin and thought about eating it but stopped. He wasn't all that hungry anyway. Before he could set it down a hand came from behind him and grabbed onto it. He looked over his shoulder to see Suzi, ą̛nger showing in her̨ eyes.

He flinched, he had seen her angry before but it was never directed at him.

“Are you alright?”

He shook his head, and looked up, concern showing in her eyes.

“But I…you…you vere…angry.” He winced the phrase now sounding stupid to him.

He flinched again as he felt her hug him. She whispered to him.

“I heard about what happened yesterday. I…” she was trying to hold back tears, “I thought I might have lost you. I'm just glad you're ok.”

He finally melted into her hug as her words relaxed him. He felt her arms move higher on his back until they were on his neck. He felt her start to choke him and heard her voice, yet there was something very off about it.

“W̷h̵͜y͜ w̢̢͘͜o̡͟’n̡̡’t͟ yo̸̶̢u̶̷̸͝ j̢͜͞ų̶̧͠s͡t d̡̧̨̢i̢͏̷̕e̢?”

He panicked and pushed her away falling to the floor with the force.

As Suzi regained her balance she looked over at Schneep, scared, “Henrik…what's wrong? You seem scared. Maybe you shouldn't-”

Henrik scrambled to his feet, his eyes darting in a panic. “I…I have to go. I vill be-be-be late for an appointment.”  He bolted for the door and took off down the hall.

“Henrik, wait!” Before she could even finish he was already gone.

He arrived at his first appointment fifteen minutes early.

* * *

 

He paced the room, holding a tissue to his bleeding nose. He was not doing a good job though as his shaking hands allowed blood to slowly drop to the floor below. He had just left his last patient. Someone who was having a kidney replacement. He had to have someone else finish it though as he had a stabbing migraine suddenly hit him. He laughed in an almost unsettling way, “G-good sing I didn't get zis nose bleed until after I got out…o-ozervise he might have gotten even vorse.”

He stumbled as another stab of pain hit him in the head. He sat down on the floor, muttering German phrases to himself until the pain subsided and his nose bleed was over.

He stood up on his shaking legs and made it to a nearby mirror. He placed his head against it and sighed, “Vhat am I going to do?”

* * *

 

As he sat down for lunch he noticed Suzi walk in and kept his head down, fear from this morning still prevalent in his mind. He had to physically stop himself from shaking in his shoes as doubts filled his head. Maybe she never liked him. Maybe she hated him. Maybe she really _did_ try to kill him this morning.

Maybe…maybe he should do it. He felt his legs move to stand up.

Maybe ḩ̸͝͏e should kill her first. He felt a smile twitch at the corners of his mouth.

The start of a giggle left his mouth before it was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.

He zipped around, anger burning in his eyes, “W̷͏̴hat̷̵̕͞?!”

A young intern yelped, startled by his outburst.

As Henrik calmed down he looked to see that his arm was slightly outstretched and his fist was shaped in an odd way, as if he were holding onto something.

He stepped back for a moment, mumbling an apology as the intern left and he sat back down.

He pushed his lunch away. He lost his appetite.

* * *

 

From across the lunch room Jeff saw the entire scene unfold. He squinted his eyes. He had suspected something was wrong for a while but now he was sure of it. He didn't like it one bit. He glanced at his colleague one last time and went back to his meal.

 

“Henrik Von Schneeplestein to the ER, please.”

Henrik snapped to attention and jogged out of the lounge. Anxiety pricking at his mind. He didn't want to do this, but he had to. He had to do it for someone else.

He met up with a nurse waiting outside the ER, “Car crash. Broken leg, two burns, lacerations on the back, slight head trauma. They might have glass stuck in their abdomen.”

He nodded and went inside.

“What is _he_ -” He heard Jeff’s voice start before he was interrupted by Suzi’s hand. He looked away from her and put on his mask. He took in a deep breath and got into his zone, hopefully, without any interruptions.

* * *

 

He carefully moved the tweezers to pull out another piece of the glass. Forcing this anxiety further into the back of his mind whenever it would show itself. The few times he managed to glance at Suzi she had an encouraging and comforting look in her eyes, then the anger seemed to seep back in and he would look down.

All of a sudden the lights started to flicker.

Suzi spoke up, “We need to get a hold of someone, now; turn on the emergency power just to be safe.”

The moment someone left the room the lights quickened their pace and one of the interns started to panic. She bumped into him and he dropped his tweezers. The lights had gotten faster and he couldn't even see what he had picked up. When he stood up his breath hitched as he sensed a change in the atmosphere. He could feel his fingers start to go numb, the feeling creeping up his arm as-

The lights exploded, the intern screamed, and Henrik jumped.

“Someone turn on the emergency power, now!”

As the pins and needles left his arm Henrik hoped that the power would come back on and that the patient was ok.

Finally, someone had turned on the emergency power.

He looked down at the patient to continue. His eyes widened. He dropped the tool he had been holding as if it had burned him as he backed up and ran.

The bloody scalpel clattered to the floor, a long, high tone crying through the air.

There was a long, bloody cut across the patient’s neck.

* * *

 

Henrik sat in a corner of the lounge shaking. He had just killed someone. He had just killed someone. He had-

“Henrik! Henrik where are…” Suzi sighed, “There you are.”

“Fass mich nicht an!”

She came closer to him, keeping her distance. “Henrik, it’s ok…you're alright.”

“Ich getötet someone. I killed someone Suzi…”

“Henrik it was an accident, we were all scared in there.”

“That was no accident.”

Suzi glared over her shoulder, “Not now Jeff.”

“No, you don't understand. I just saw the autopsy. That cut, was no accident. You _know_ how much I hate it when people who are supposed to save other people become careless. But _this_?!”

“ _Jeff_ …” Suzi’s patience was wearing thin, and Henrik flinched as he remembered this morning.

“That cut was way too fucking precise to be an accident. It had to be intentional.”

Suzi stood up and pointed a finger in his face, “Listen here you arrogant asshole, in case you haven't noticed Henrik hasn't exactly been himself lately. He got scared, he's been stressed. _It. Was. An. Accident_!”

“Exactly! He's been acting odd lately, haven't you noticed it's like he wants to kill everything he sees. There is something _wrong_ with him!”

“Which is exactly why I'm trying to help him. Besides, if you actually cared you'd see he’s never like that. So fuck off…” she reached out a hand to Henrik and helped him up. “I think you need to go home…I’m sorry, I should have said something sooner…Maybe I can talk the boss into giving you a vacation. Come on, I'll drive you home.”

* * *

 

Henrik sat on the couch. Not paying attention to the game of war going on between JJ and Robbie before him. He stared blankly at his phone. His daughter was supposed to come over tomorrow. He so desperately wanted her to come over, hoping it would provide him with some form of joy. Yet…he didn't want her to get hurt. He gripped the phone tighter as he went to dial Lynda.

A notification for a text message popped up on his phone. He tapped it. There was a video, Maria’s smiling face showing already. He tapped play.

“Hi daddy!” His little edelweiss hugged a stuffed cat, making its paw wave back at the screen. “I can't wait to see you tomorrow! Oh and look, I still have the necklace on!” She popped the locket open showing him the picture. “We had a fun day in school. Adam and I played with his dragons! They're cool!” She shifted in her sitting position, “Well…mommy says it's time to go to bed but I'll see you tomorrow! Stay snug, ladybug!”

Henrik put the phone back in his pocket as he walked off to his room. He didn't have the heart to crush her spirit.

As he climbed into bed he whispered, “Sleep nice, edelweiss”

* * *

 

_He was once again found himself in an endless void. He desperately needed to find someone, anyone who could help him, someone to wait the madness with. So he did the only thing he could do: he walked. He walked until his feet were tired, but still he pushed on even if he had found nothing._

_He was about to give up when he felt something squelch beneath his feet. He looked down and screamed._

_There was a giant pile of bodies in front of him with pool of blood slowly seeping out from it, and he had just stepped onto an intestine that was hanging from a body below him. The reason he screamed though, was not because there was a corpse. But because it’s hand had just reached out for him. It then began to moan, “Help…us.” Its voice was a gurgling mess he could hardly understand. He started to back up, only to trip and fall into another mass of bodies behind him. He cried out, immediately standing up his pajamas drenched with gore._

_He was now completely surrounded by bodies. “W…why didn't you…sssssave us?”  The cadavers voices started to get louder as their pleas merged. There was now an endless wail and Henrik couldn't take it anymore. Collapsing to his knees, he screamed and covered his ears, trying to block out the noise. Then, there was the shriek of a girl._

* * *

 

Henrik cried out in the dark as he sat up in bed, his face drenched in sweat and tears. He hiccuped, and leaning over the side of his bed, he threw up. Once he had heaved what little there was in his stomach, he lied back in bed. With a long, hard shudder, he curled up into a fetal position and cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well would you look at that, two chapters in one day. Due to my excitment with KJSE my writing powers were on FIRE today!! So, as a little treat, rather than keep you waiting, I decided to post them both!!


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